subject: How is the Black Church Failing HBCU's? [print this page] How is the Black Church Failing HBCU's? How is the Black Church Failing HBCU's?
"There is overwhelming evidence to illustrate how the black church is failing HBCU's, "declared John T. Stroud, CEO of Vision Quest Publications in Charlotte, NC at a recent business luncheon.
"Listen, you are coming right down my street now because one of the things I talk about in my book "Why Most Churches Fail Most Black Men" is how churches dominate people's time. Folks spend too much time in church, there is no opportunity, particularly for men, to mobilize outside of church to be effective ministers in the marketplace", I said. "Many people who go to church have never served in their own community, added Jimmy McClure, a local businessman.
We have an incredible resource of human capital in our local HBCU's that is not being tapped. Black churches, in terms of a partnership with Johnson C. Smith University an HBCU located in uptown Charlotte, NC, makes all the sense in the world. But where the impasse comes, in a potential relationship with the church, is that there is going to have to be some accountability; particularly as it relates to finances.
Now I know many people may not like me saying this but I'm just going to come right out and say it. If an individual has an opportunity to access the books of some of these churches, they are going to amazed at the level of level of financial impropriety that exists. I would go so far as to say, many preachers are fleecing the flock and doing it in the name of the Lord! Pastor Anthony Jinwright, formerly of Salem Baptist Church, was recently convicted and sentenced to 9 years in prison for lying to the Feds under oath and defrauding the IRS with regard to his personal salary. He and his wife stole millions from his congregation over a period of seven years.
It is obvious that some of those dollars could have benefitted the students at JCSU or Barber Scotia in Concord, NC. We will never know how many lives would have been changed by an investment into the minds of our young people. In this instance, the church has failed miserably. An isolated incident you might say, however, a closer scrutiny into the finances of local and national ministries will unveil even more abuse, indifference and neglect. The reason many black churches can't support our HBCU's is that they are broke. The churches are strapped financially with towering cathedrals on sprawling campuses they can't afford! Add to that, a top heavy administrative drain on the church finances and an overindulgent Senior Pastor with aspirations to get rich off of tithes and offerings and you have all the necessary ingredients for a failed relationship with our HBCU's. No money. No Honey!
